On November 11, Holly and me, along with my son and nephew, hiked to the summit of Strickler Knob in the George Washington National Forest. It was a tough decision between Strickler Knob or Duncan Knob, but both boys' eyes lit up when I described the scrambles on the ridge of Strickler Knob and that is what made up our mind.

We arrived at the Scothorn Gap Trailhead off of Crisman Hollow Road around 12:30 in the afternoon. There were a few cars and trucks at the parking area and since it was hunting season we decided to be safe and wear orange caps. The weather couldn't have been better; the temperature was in the upper 50's and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

The Strickler Knob hike from the Scothorn Gap Trail Trailhead is about 5.5 miles round trip. The hike starts by following the orange-blazed Scothorn Gap Trail (555A) across a small creek and around a gate. From here the trail begins to climb, and climb it does, gaining 500 feet of elevation in the first mile. The steepest part of the hike comes from .8 miles to 1 mile. Since it was a nice day we were in no hurry, and having two kids with us, we went slowly and took several breaks to eat some GORP, get a drink of water, and enjoy the sights around us.

Right where the trail levels off there is a tree to the left with a trunk that bends down and back up again, almost making a loop. This shows how hard life is on the mountain and how resilient nature can be.

After passing the loop tree we came to a clearing that has an excellent campsite in it. There is a large arrow painted on a tree pointing to the right and the Scothorn Gap Trail continues to the right (along the left side of the clearing). This large level area is the Scothorn Gap, a low area between Waterfall Mountain to the right and an unnamed peak to the left.

Following the Scothorn Gap Trail, we entered the forest and passed a campsite on our left with a tent and hammock occupying it. This was our first sign of other people on the mountain with us since the vehicles in the parking area. We continued on through the forest and at 1.3 miles came to an intersection with the Massanutten Trail (408). We crossed the Massanutten Trail and continued on the Gap Creek Trail to the crest of the mountain. The trail climbs to the ridge of the mountain here.

Once at the ridge of the mountain we turned onto the unofficial Strickler Knob Trail. The Strickler Knob Trail was created illegally in 2006. It is blazed with bright pinkish-purple blazes, but most of them have been painted over by the Forest Service so that they now appear a reddish-gray color and almost blend in to the surrounding rocks and tree trunks. The first 100 yards or so of the trail aren't marked and can be difficult to find, but we were lucky today because two hikers were sitting right at the start of the Strickler Knob Trail taking a break. There were several other hikers making their way toward us, having already summited the knob.

The Strickler Knob Trail was very crowded. I hiked it in August and saw no one the whole hike, but today there would be no solitude. The Strickler Knob Trail is part trail, part rock scramble, part bushwhack. An experienced hiker should have little difficulty finding the trail. Novices will need to pay attention and may have to double back to the last known blaze before moving forward again. At any rate, move from blaze to blaze and you should be fine. If you get completely lost, just continue to follow the ridge and you will come to the knob. The ridge is only 30-50 feet wide so just don't walk down any steep hills and you'll get there.

There are many great overlooks along the way to the summit that offer great views of the area. To the West (right when traveling to the knob) you will have views of Waterfall Mountain and Kerns Mountain behind it. To the East (left) you will look down into the Shenandoah Valley, almost 2000 vertical feet below you.

Eventually you come to the rock scrambles at the end of the ridge. There is no serious climbing here, but it's enough that small children and dogs should not attempt the hike. Many people call this hike a mini Old Rag, but I don't see it. A mini Bearfence Mountain Trail maybe, but it's no Old Rag. My son was 10 and my nephew 12 when we hiked and both were capable of doing the scrambles without any help.

At the summit there are two columns of rock standing approximately 20 feet above the ridge. We stayed here for a while taking pictures, enjoying the view, and letting the boys climb on all the boulders around the ridge.

When the sun first showed signs of setting we took the Strickler Knob Trail back to the Gap Creek Trail and descended the mountain. The sun had set and it was beginning to get dark and cool when we reached the parking lot. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the hike. My son even said he wanted to have his next birthday party out on the knob!